Our Team Members

Dr. Didarul Islam Manik is a full-time faculty member in Communication at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) in Albuquerque, USA, and also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the global campus of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). He holds a Ph.D. in Media and Culture from the University of New Mexico. Dr. Manik’s research explores media representations, social discursive practices, power, and ideology. His doctoral dissertation critically examined how Buddhist nationalist ideology in Myanmar contributed to the racialization of the Rohingya ethnic minority. He is currently engaged in multiple research projects and has authored and co-authored a range of peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. In addition to his academic work, Dr. Manik is an active public intellectual. He regularly contributes opinion pieces to newspapers on media, politics, and cultural issues, and frequently appears on Bangladeshi television as a commentator on current affairs. He has presented his scholarship at major academic conferences, including the National Communication Association (NCA), the International Communication Association (ICA), and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Before pursuing graduate studies in the United States, Dr. Manik worked as a journalist in Bangladesh from 2006 to 2013. He later served as chief reporter for Weekly Bangladesh, a New York-based community newspaper, from 2015 to 2016. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Dhaka, and a second master’s degree in Communication Studies from the University of South Dakota.

Dr. Harisur Rahman is an Associate Professor in the Media Communication and Journalism (MCJ) Program at North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, with a focus on media communication and cultural studies. Dr. Rahman has an extensive academic and research portfolio exploring media, cultural politics, and digital anthropology in South Asia. He has played a pivotal role in curriculum development, leading the design of programs in MCJ and Anthropology, and coordinating initiatives such as the NSU TV Radio & Digital Lab and the China-South Asia Center for Socio-Cultural Studies (CSCSS). His recent book, Decoding Ad Culture: Television Commercials and Broadcast Regulations in Bangladesh, published by Lexington Books, USA, critically examines the influence of advertising on societal values. Dr. Rahman's work reflects his dedication to understanding media's impact on societal change, bridging theoretical insights with practical applications.

Dr. Mohammad Ala-Uddin is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Saint Mary’s College, Indiana, USA. He holds a Ph.D. in Media and Communication from Bowling Green State University and an M.A. in International Affairs, specializing in Communication and Development Studies ‎from Ohio University, USA. Before moving to the United States, Dr. Ala-Uddin also earned a Regional Master Programme in Journalism, Media and Communication organized by four partner institutions from Bangladesh, Nepal, Norway, and Pakistan. He also participated in a media studies summer program at the University of Oslo, Norway.‎ His research examines the intersection of global communication, digital media, and sustainable development and social change. Focusing on transnational contexts in the Global South, he investigates how digital media and emerging technologies, including AI, shape communication, democracy, and social change in the 21st century. Dr. Ala-Uddin integrates qualitative methods with computational techniques to analyze social change discourses in natural language data, contributing to critical conversations on equity, inclusion, and social justice. Ala-Uddin co-authored a white paper at Ohio University, which later evolved into a substantial ‎‎$19 million proposal. His work has been published in the journals of Telematics and Informatics and Asia Pacific Media Educator; The ‎Palgrave Handbook of International Communication and Sustainable Development; and ‎the Handbook of Communication and Media in the Global South. Additionally, he has presented ‎his research at top communication and media conferences including at ICA, IAMCR, and NCA ‎conventions. His involvement extends to various international forums of exchange held in ‎Bangladesh, Canada, Finland, Nepal, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, the UK, and the USA.‎

Shah Jahan Shuvo is a dedicated scholar from Bangladesh, currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. His academic journey began with a major in Sociology from the University of Dhaka, followed by a decade of experience in journalism. This solid foundation was further enriched by a second master’s degree in communication from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Shuvo's scholarship critically examines the impact of digital innovations on social transformation, with a particular focus on marginalized communities. His research explores how digital media platforms provide a space for resistance and self-representation for disenfranchised groups such as minority communities, low-wage workers, and refugees.

Dr. Tariquil Islam is an accomplished professional with seven years of experience in journalism, serving as a reporter and sub-editor in Bangladesh's print and electronic media from 2011 to 2017. Currently, he is working as a senior lecturer at the World University of Bangladesh (WUB). Driven by a passion for academic growth, he completed his PhD in Journalism at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University. The Turkish government fully funded his PhD study. Currently, he works as a research associate at the Center for Policy and Social Research. His research areas include media, refugee crises, foreign policy, social upheavals, and defense.

Soumik Pal works as Assistant Professor of Media, Communication, and Journalism in the Department of Political Science and Sociology at North South University, Dhaka. He holds a PhD in Film and Media Studies from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. His work has been published in journals such as Studies in South Asian Film and Media, and edited volumes on Bollywood cinema and language politics in India. He has worked on the phenomenon of stardom and celebrity as commodity, notions of masculinity as seen in Hindi cinema from the 1970s to the contemporary era, and how that has informed Indian politics leading up to the current Hindutva era. His research interests include neoliberal cultures concerning bureaucracy, finance, construction of gender representations, and the rise of fascism. He is currently editing a special section titled “Media and the Police State” for the journal Jump Cut” A Review of Contemporary Media. He can be contacted at soumik.pal@northsouth.edu

Dr. Samiksha Koirala is an Assistant Professor of Media and Journalism at North South University, Bangladesh. She holds a PhD in Journalism from the University of Oslo, Norway. Currently, she is also working as the Director of Office of External Affairs at North South University. With over 10 years of experience as a news reporter and editor in various news media outlets in Nepal and Sri Lanka, Dr.Koirala has also served as a journalism trainer, specializing in subjects like misinformation, disinformation, gender-responsive news reporting, and digital harassment. Her current research focuses on disinformation and its impact on South Asian women journalists. Her research interests and publications are mainly in the areas of gender and media representations, the safety of journalists, and gender-based digital harassment